Dublin Castle hosted its first major working event of the EU presidency this week when Enterprise and Employment Minister Peter Burke chaired meetings with his European counterparts.The main business was conducted on Friday but Peter had a very busy day on Thursday, filling in for Simon Harris at Tánaiste’s questions before taking up his EU duties. The Eurocrats and accompanying politicians like to ease themselves into the work. Their Irish schedule began with a trip in the afternoon to St James’s Gate and the brewhouse in the lower yard where the beer is actually made. They didn’t stay long, as it’s very warm there at the best of times. On Thursday, it was sweltering. Then they went to the Open Gate Brewery on James’s Street, which is a small experimental brewery. There was talk about decarbonisation (not of the product) and the company’s plan to be net zero by 2030.Burke gave a short speech, then set himself up behind the bar where he acquainted his guests in the skill of pulling pints of stout.Meanwhile, back in Leinster House, visitors to the Dáil bar were intrigued to find EU beermats with the Irish presidency slogan on them scattered around the tables. The beermats will be placed in pubs around city areas and in parts of the country where EU delegates will be meeting.EU beermats in pubs around Dublin where EU delegates are likely to be and commemorative plaques for pubs In advance of the presidency the European Commission approached major firms and social organisations to help mark the event – the Guinness beer mat is one result along with a plaque for pubs.Burke hosted a dinner on Thursday night in St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle. The menu included a starter of whipped Ardsallagh goat’s cheese with pickled walnut, candied beets and avocado purée. There was a choice of chargrilled Irish beef fillet with gratin potato, roasted onion, king oyster mushroom, parsley emulsion and Bordelaise sauce or pan-seared Atlantic seabass, saffron mousseline, wilted green, clams and beurre blanc. There was lemon meringue tart or raspberry sorbet with berry coulis and blackberry gel for dessert. And for after-afters there was the World Cup tie (9pm kick-off) between France and Morocco. Sébastien Martin, the French minister delegate for industry, had booked a room in The Oak pub across the road in Dame Street and the ministers, including Burke, headed over to watch France clinch a semi-final spot with a relatively easy win.‘He really is a tosser’: Mary Lou clashes with MicheálThe Taoiseach and the leader of Sinn Féin are never going to be best buddies. Their weekly clashes in the Dáil can be very awkward at times. But, even by their fractious standards, Mary Lou McDonald surpassed herself this week.The latest episode was on Wednesday afternoon when she asked Micheál Martin to tell her how long is a piece of string: what will be the final cost of the Dublin MetroLink rail project?She hung her question on news that the Government has purchased the Carlton Cinema site on O’Connell for €80 million to facilitate MetroLink, which is still in the procurement stage with construction expected to start in about two years.The Sinn Féin leader was worried the initial €7 billion estimate could rise to “€12 billion or even more” by the time the railway line is completed.“What will be the final cost of this project? Are we witnessing another National Children’s Hospital fiasco unfold before us?” cried Mary Lou, setting up an early marker for what could be a very long construction saga, going on past form.The Taoiseach smartly dodged this impossible question by seizing on her reference to the Carlton Cinema, which is in a historic part of Dublin’s north inner city earmarked for regeneration. Sinn Féin has long campaigned for this.“Just forgive me – my understanding is that you wanted the State to buy this site … so I thought you’d be standing up to welcome this,” said Micheál, pointing out that two weeks ago she had been calling on him to buy it.“I’m asking about MetroLink,” said Mary Lou. “The somersault is interesting,” mused Micheál.“It would be more interesting if you answered the question,” she replied. He said either she was for the acquisition of the Carlton site or she wasn’t.But eventually, he had to mention MetroLink.“The Minister is not in a position to put a definitive price tag on it right now … The focus now is on getting the metro built ... I presume that’s something you support?”This was during Questions on Policy or Legislation where TDs usually have less than a minute to ask a question and are not allowed a follow-up. The Ceann Comhairle called on the Social Democrats leader, Holly Cairns.An exasperated Mary Lou stood, gathered her papers and prepared to leave. Holly’s opening line was interrupted by a minor kerfuffle still ongoing over the previous subject. With the Taoiseach still sitting across the floor, Mary Lou said something in a loud stage whisper to her colleague Maurice Quinlivan. “Sorry?” spluttered a Government TD, taken aback by her comment.But the hardworking parliamentary reporters who sit in the centre of the chamber don’t miss much.Now Mary Lou’s opinion of Micheál is there for posterity on the official Dáil record.“Jesus. He really is a tosser.”RTÉ’s Áine Lawlor bows outIt’s a big weekend for broadcaster Áine Lawlor, retiring from RTÉ after four decades of covering the highs, the lows and often bewildering in-betweens of Irish politics. She officially signs off on Sunday when her final edition of The Week in Politics goes out at midday. Áine’s colleagues from RTÉ’s political staff joined members of the Oireachtas Press Gallery in the Dáil bar on Wednesday night to give her the first of two big send-offs – the second was on Friday night back at base, when many former newsroom colleagues also returned for the occasion.And to cap it all, it was her birthday too. Mary Wilson and Aine Lawlor on their final day on RTÉ Radio 1's flagship news programme. Photograph: courtesy @lawlor_aine Minister of State Charlie McConalogue made a point of making it down to the bar to bid her farewell. He was on the very first The Week in Politics back in 2013, along with another ambitious young fella called Paschal Donohoe. Deirdre McCarthy, RTÉ’s head of news and current affairs – herself a former member of the press gallery, led the Montrose contingent at the bash in the back of the Visitors’ Bar. News anchor Sharon Ní Bheoláin, who presents the live Leaders’ Questions slot every Wednesday and Thursday, was also there along with Juliette Gash, Micheál Lehane, Barry Lenihan, Paul Cunningham, Fiachra Ó Cionnaith, Cuan Ó Seireadáin of Raidió na Gaeltachta and Donncha Ó Murchú of TG4.Áine said that when she started back in the day, there was “real corruption” in Irish politics and Irish political journalists were a well-paid bunch. Now, that widescale corruption (fingers crossed) is gone but the journalists aren’t well paid anymore.Then there was the time her waters broke in the middle of a live interview in Belfast during the Belfast Agreement negotiations.Áine has four grown-up children – Ella, David, Jack and Megan – who were there on Wednesday night. Always known as meticulous in her research before a big interview, Áine remembered spending hours preparing tough questions the night before she was due to grill then Fianna Fáil minister, Charlie McCreevy, at the height of a political controversy.Right at the beginning, in response to a probing question, Charlie responded: “Yes. You’re right. We were wrong and we won’t do it again.” He more or less killed the interview stone dead.Senan Molony spoke on behalf of the Oireachtas Press Gallery and he led the applause and standing ovation from all in the Dáil bar when Áine made her exit.Ryan Tubridy returns to Leinster HouseThe Public Accounts Committee had a date with RTÉ again this week. And look, there’s Ryan Tubridy in Leinster House again. But the former Late Late Show presenter, who got star billing when the committee had a field day during the RTÉ payments scandal, was in Kildare Street for a much more pleasant occasion, and the ushers and catering staff were delighted to welcome him back. On Tuesday, Ryan and his wife, clinical psychologist Clare Kambamettu, were guests of Senator Aubrey McCarthy at a dinner in the Members’ Restaurant, along with former Ireland soccer international Niall Quinn and his wife, Gillian Quinn. Senator Aubrey McCarthy with Ryan Tubridy and his wife Clare Kambamettu, who had dinner in Leinster House to support McCarthy's charity, Tiglin Senator McCarthy is founder of the Tiglin charity, which helps people struggling with homelessness and addiction issues. The two couples are big supporters and Aubrey tells us “the idea was to discuss Tiglin’s ‘social enterprise’ and how we can make a difference in society”. The charity is opening a new cafe in Wicklow town this weekend called Rise at the Abbey.They also made plans to collaborate on future projects and were joined at the dinner by Tiglin’s CEO Phil Thompson and his wife, Ann.“It was also an opportunity to celebrate Ryan and Dr Clare’s marriage and Gillian Quinn’s doctorate,” says Aubrey. Ryan and Clare were in great form, with his return to Leinster House proving an infinitely more pleasant experience than his last outings when he was grilled by not one, but two Oireachtas committees.In March, Gillian Quinn was awarded a PhD in psychology from Dublin City University. Her thesis – An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Elite Professional Footballers and Their Intimate Partners During the Sports Career Transition: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study – focused on the experience of professional footballers and their partners following retirement.Senator Aubrey McCarthy with Niall Quinn and his wife Gillian Talk of The Boss in the SeanadThere’s only one Boss for Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, and it isn’t her party leader Micheál Martin. Anything and everything comes up for discussion during the Order of Business in the Seanad. On Wednesday, the Kildare-based Senator wanted to spread the word about a festival next month in Rathangan village – Féile Springsteen.She told the upper house that a special event happened across the Atlantic last week in a town in New Jersey called Freehold. It happens to be the hometown of The Boss.“I’m sure many Senators will remember me recalling here how Bruce Springsteen’s great-great grandmother on his father’s side, Ann Garrity, came from my home town of Rathangan in Co Kildare and travelled to America in 1852…,” she began. Sure, they talk about little else. “When she went, she brought a seedling of a copper beech with her, which was planted and became a tree that is synonymous with Bruce Springsteen’s music. Sadly, that tree was cut down a number of years ago but last year a delegation from Freehold, including the mayor, Kevin Kane, and including Bruce’s first cousin, Kevin, came to Rathangan and they planted a copper beech.”And last week, a delegation led by Cllr Brian O’Loughlin, headed over to Freehold with another copper beech and planted it in the same spot as the original tree. “The event was fabulous and I look forward to hearing all about it,” added Fiona. Maybe Cllr O’Loughlin, her little brother, will fill her in.Rathangan’s Féile on August 22nd will have a Springsteen tribute band called The Human Touch among other attractions.“Obviously, we hope to get the main man one of these years, which I have no doubt we will,” concluded Fiona.New Jersey papers please copy.